DRUG
AND PILL TESTING SERVICE
1040. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the recent
discovery of a new drug in Canberra—CanKet—through the
Australian Capital Territory's drug and pill testing service.
(1) Has the drug been detected in WA; and, if so, how?
(2) Does the government plan to introduce a drug and pill
testing service in Western Australia?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question. Please forgive my pronunciation of the word that I am about to try to
say.
(1) A white
powder that was submitted for routine drug analysis by the Western Australia
Police Force has tentatively been identified by the ChemCentre as the 2-fluoro
isomer—identical molecular formulae—of fluorexetamine.
Fluorexetamine has recently been referred to as CanKet. Due to the similarities
of the two compounds, further analysis is required to make an unequivocal
identification.
(2) The McGowan government continues to monitor
current drug checking programs in New Zealand, Canberra and globally as
part of the Overdose Strategy Group and Emerging Drug Network of Australia—EDNA.
There is no intention to introduce a drug and pill testing service in Western Australia.